The Colony is the story of the marvellously contrary,
endlessly energetic early years of Sydney. It is an intimate account of
the transformation of a campsite in a beautiful cove to the town that
later became Australia's largest and best-known city.

From the sparkling beaches to the foothills of the Blue Mountains,
Grace Karskens skilfully reveals how landscape shaped the lives of the
original Aboriginal inhabitants and newcomers alike. She traces the
ways in which relationships between the colonial authorities and
ordinary men and women broke with old patterns, and the ways that
settler and Aboriginal histories became entwined. She uncovers the ties
between the burgeoning township and its rural hinterland expanding
along the river systems of the Cumberland Plain.

Enthusiastically received on first publication, this is a landmark
account of the birthplace of modern Australia, and a fascinating and
richly textured narrative of people and place.

About The Author

Grace Karskens teaches Australian History at the University of New
South Wales and is the author of The Rocks: Life in Early Sydney

Industry Reviews

"Grounded in reality, free of stereotypes, and balanced in its judgment. It neither romanticizes nor condemns and thereby provides a foundation story that we can all recognize." "Sydney Morning Herald""